Consistent temperature and field dependence in weak localization

Abstract

The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the resistivity of thin Mg and Au films are measured. The parameters of weak localization such as the inelastic lifetime ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{i}(T)$ and the spin-orbit (so) coupling time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\mathrm{so}}$ are evaluated. The Mg film which has a small spin-orbit coupling can be changed into a strong spin-orbit coupler by covering it with 0.25 monolayers of Au. Since the inelastic lifetime is not affected by the small amount of Au only one parameter is changed. This does not only alter the magnetoresistance but also the temperature dependence of the film resistance. The whole set of magnetoresistance curves is well described by the theory. The change of the spin-orbit coupling essentially allows one to separate the temperature-dependent resistance caused by weak localization from other temperature-dependent contributions. It is consistent with the theory.